


Date nights

by Blackghost7



Category: NCIS
Genre: Getting Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-21
Updated: 2014-12-21
Packaged: 2018-03-02 16:48:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2819276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blackghost7/pseuds/Blackghost7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Somehow, they start this thing… oh, they end up just where we want them to be!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Date nights

His breath escaped his lungs in a rush when he was slammed face first against the wall of the elevator. The strong arm on the back of his neck kept him in place despite his struggling and his hands found no purchase on the smooth walls. Trying to kick back with his leg, he hit only air. “You done?” came the gruff voice close to his ear. He stilled his movements and waited. “You ever, EVER, do that again, and I’ll kill you myself.” The threat was all the more impressive for the soft and even tone it was delivered in. “You do this at least once a year.” He felt the hard chest pressing against his back heaving with contained righteous anger. “You promise me every time that you won’t do it again, won’t go off on your own to get shot at.” Hips pressed against his, pinning him in place even more. “Eleven years, and you still won’t let me have your back. Don’t you know that you scare me to death when you do that?” He felt a shuddering breath against the back of his neck. “Don’t you know that I would die if something happened to you?” The hand that had been pushing against his back to keep him in place moved around his side to slide across his belly, and the arm against his neck was moved to drape over his shoulder, the hand moving to his chest so he was embraced by strong arms and pulled back against the hard body behind him. “Do you still not know that I love you?” Tony whispered into Gibbs’ ear.  
   
Tony held Gibbs tightly for another few moments, just to reassure himself that the older man was alive and fine and definitely not hurt despite getting shot at after going off without back up again, without letting Tony know where he was going. Then he released his hold and turned around to face the other wall, flipping the emergency stop switch to get the elevator moving again, and getting out on their floor without looking back, leaving a bewildered Gibbs staring after him. At his desk, Tony grabbed his bag and coat and headed for the back stairs, away from the elevator, to the garage and his car and away from Gibbs who had scared him so much that he had spilled the beans and who was probably now already looking to shoot him or transfer him off his team, whichever was the easiest way to get rid of his senior agent now that he knew the man was in love with him.  
   
Driving over to his apartment, Tony’s mind raced with random thoughts. He should change the locks of his apartment, because Gibbs had his spare key and could come in to kill him anytime he wanted. Gibbs could pick locks. There was no use to change his locks then. He should find another job. He should move to another city. He should move to another country, hell, to another planet. He should go talk to the man to beg him not to cut Tony out of his life. He should promise Gibbs that he would never speak of it again. He should tell Gibbs that it was a joke. He should.. he should… He should stop being a chicken and face the truth.  
   
Once at home, Tony took a long hot shower in an attempt to calm himself. He was sure there would be fallout from his confession, but it was no use worrying about it until it happened. Gibbs knew where to find him to deliver his judgment, and it would come whenever the older man had decided what the verdict would be. He could wait.  
   
~~~~~  
   
Gibbs stared after Tony as the younger man exited the elevator, grabbed his things and made his escape. He was too shocked to move and stop Tony, and stood frozen in place as the elevator doors closed on him again, the elevator not moving for lack of a pressed button. It was several minutes before Gibbs could focus again, and then he pressed the button for the ground floor. Coffee. He needed coffee, the good stuff. Making his way over to the coffee stand out in the Yard, he placed his order and, once received, stood in the sunshine sipping the brew and trying to get his thoughts sorted out.  
   
He had known that Tony would be pissed at him when he found out Gibbs was off on his own, but he had not had the patience to wait or call. Of course, his plan for a smooth quick interview went awry when the idiot he wanted to talk to started shooting at him. Luckily the man was an awful shot, and Gibbs had never been in danger of getting hurt, but shots fired meant calling it in and that’s how Tony had found out.  
   
When he returned to the bullpen, Gibbs had been surprised when Tony had physically dragged him to the elevator and pinned him against the wall. Instinct kicked in and Gibbs tried to struggle free, but the younger man’s anger had given him additional strength. The soft spoken words and subsequent embrace had shocked him to his core. Tony loved him. He’d had no idea. Despite their verbal playing and flirting, Gibbs knew that that was just second nature to Tony, that he did that with everyone, so he never thought more of it. Never had Gibbs had any indication that Tony would be interested in men, certainly not in Gibbs.  
   
And now Tony had told him that he loved him. It caused him to examine his own feelings about the younger man. He loved Tony as a good friend, someone he trusted and could count on, someone he cared for. He had a special fondness for Tony, the younger man amused him and made him proud, was able to make him smile and could read his moods better than anyone, knew when to leave him alone and when to push if something was bothering him. They had an extraordinary rapport, but Gibbs had always attributed that to their long years working together. Tony was the one who showed up at his house most often, and he always liked having the younger man there, enjoying his endless babble or contemplative silence, whatever his mood was. He admitted to himself that Tony had a place in his heart, but had never considered it to be of the romantic kind.  
   
He huffed to himself in annoyance. This was not going to be resolved in the few minutes it took him to down his coffee. He needed to think about this more.  
   
~~~~~  
   
Tony had collapsed on his couch after his shower, putting on a DVD but not watching it, mind whirling with thoughts. He waited for the knock on his door, or the ringing of his phone, but it never came. It was deep into the night when he finally turned off the television and dragged himself to bed, but sleep did not come. After a sleepless night, he got up before his alarm went off and tried to figure out what to do. In the end, he decided he would just go to work and see what would happen next.  
   
~~~~~  
   
Gibbs had spent his evening and most of the night in his basement, working on his project and trying to make sense of the events of the day and his feelings. He also wondered how Tony was doing. Knowing the younger man as well as he did, he knew Tony would be tying himself up in knots over his revelation, and would probably be imagining all kinds of scenarios in which Gibbs wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible. A sudden dark thought hit him: what if Tony ran? What if he didn’t come to work tomorrow morning? But Gibbs settled himself, he knew he could always find the younger man and would drag him back kicking and screaming, if that’s what it would take. And that in itself was an interesting thought too. He would indeed do pretty much anything to keep Tony at his side. Maybe there was more to his feelings for the younger man than he had thought.  
   
Arriving in the bullpen at seven the next morning, Gibbs was both surprised and pleased when he saw Tony already sitting at his desk. It seemed like he had been right in his assessment of Tony’s thoughts though, the younger man looked like he hadn’t slept at all. He greeted him with a short “DiNozzo” as he walked past him, and got a tentative “Morning, Boss” in return. Settling down at his desk, Gibbs started his workday and ignored the man across from him. He noticed Tony looking at him curiously and anxiously a few times, but when Gibbs didn’t react, Tony seemed to settle and get back to his own work. When McGee and Ziva arrived, it was business as usual in the bullpen, though Tony was teased by the two younger agents for leaving so abruptly the previous day. Tony took the ribbing in stride, but did not explain why he had left.  
   
Catching a case later that morning, things were back to normal, like nothing had happened and nothing had been said the previous day. They worked together as usual, no tense undertones, and back in the office that afternoon, when Tony made a scathing remark about the suspect’s wife, he received a head slap for it. The rest of the week followed in similar fashion, and Tony figured that Gibbs was just ignoring what had happened that Monday. While it hurt a little that apparently his heartfelt confession could be ignored so easily, Tony was happy enough that he hadn’t been fired or sent away. Little did he know that he was on Gibbs’ mind all the time.  
   
Gibbs had spent his evenings that week contemplating his feelings and was plotting a course of action. He needed to figure out exactly what he felt for Tony, and find out if there could be more. But to do that, he needed to be with Tony. So Thursday night he had made his decision. The case having been closed early Friday morning, they spent the rest of the day on their reports and Gibbs sent Ziva and McGee home as soon as they were done. Alone now in the bullpen, Gibbs walked over to Tony’s desk and asked: “You want to come over for steaks tonight, Tony?” The younger man’s head shot up at the question and he studied his boss intently. Keeping his expression as neutral as possible, Gibbs looked back. Seeing nothing to tell him what this was about, Tony nodded in acceptance and said: “Sure, Boss, love to.” Gibbs inwardly smirked when he saw Tony wince at himself for using the l-word. Then he replied: “Good. Go home, Tony. Be at my place at seven.”  
   
Stopping for supplies on the way home, Gibbs arrived a little after six and started his preparations for dinner. Steaks in the marinade, potatoes in the oven, beers in the fridge. He’d even picked up some ingredients for salad on the side and bread rolls. Everything prepared for dinner, he hurriedly took a shower and dressed, opting for jeans and a button down shirt, not too dressy but better than the sweats he usually wore when Tony joined him in the basement. Checking his reflection, he was pleased with what he saw. He even noticed the little sparkle in his eyes at the thought of the evening ahead. Heading back downstairs, he first lit the fire in the fireplace which he would cook the steaks on, then he set the table and checked on the potatoes, nodding to himself in satisfaction when he saw they would be ready in time with the steak. Taking a beer, he went into the living room to tend to the fire and wait for Tony.  
   
~~~~~  
   
Mind whirling again, Tony drove home and showered, wondering whether this evening would be when the ax would drop. He had not been able to read anything in Gibbs’ expression when the man issued the invitation, but he didn’t think that Gibbs would invite him to his house for dinner to tell him he was getting rid of him. Surely he would have done that at the office. So what was going on? He knew he would have to wait and see. Choosing black jeans and a black shirt, Tony checked his reflection as he fixed his hair. “Looking good, Tony,” he thought to himself. Nervous but determined, he got into his car and made his way over to Gibbs’.  
   
At exactly seven, Tony pulled up to Gibbs’ house and walked to the front door. Should he knock? No, he never knocked, and from the past couple of days, he got the feeling that Gibbs wanted things to be as they had always been, so without knocking, Tony walked in. Having hung up his coat and calling out “It’s me, Boss!”, he stepped around the corner into the living room and stopped dead in his tracks. Gibbs was standing next to the fireplace, dressed in jeans and a shirt Tony had never seen before, and he looked good. Better than good. He looked scrumptious! Tony groaned inwardly. With Gibbs looking like that, it was going to be even more difficult than usual to keep his hands to himself. Walking over to the younger man, Gibbs replied: “Hey, Tony. Beer?” and laid his hand on Tony’s shoulder for a moment as he waited for the man’s response. Tony’s eyes were wide and staring at him, and the only response he got was a tiny nod. “I’ll get you one, you sit down and make yourself comfortable.” Leaving Tony standing in the hall, Gibbs went to the kitchen and grabbed them each a beer. He smiled to himself when he found Tony still standing in the hall, and tugged on the younger man’s arm to get him to move to the living room and the couch.  
   
The little tug seemed to wake Tony from his stupor, and he accepted the beer and settled himself on the couch. He watched as Gibbs brought out the steaks and expertly grilled them in the fireplace. When the steaks were done, Tony offered to get plates, but Gibbs brought him and the steaks to the dining room instead. Tony froze again when he saw the table set and the salad and bread, but managed to shake himself out of it by the time Gibbs returned from the kitchen with the potatoes. Sitting down, Tony’s thoughts were reeling again, but he snapped out of it when Gibbs started talking to him, starting by asking him about his thoughts on the case. Actual conversation was held while they ate their dinner, and Tony relaxed and actually enjoyed himself. Gibbs was smiling and talking and Tony loved seeing him like this.  
   
After dinner, Gibbs quickly cleared the table and made them coffee, settling on the couch next to Tony when it was done and picked up the conversation again. Coffee replaced by slowly sipped bourbon at some point, time flew by and it was with surprise that Tony noted it was past midnight when Gibbs asked him if he would like another bourbon, in which case he shouldn’t drive anymore. Seeing the time and needing to process the evening, Tony declined and said he should go. Gibbs nodded and got up to walk him to the door and show him out. Driving home, Tony let the evening replay in his mind and just as he closed the door of his apartment behind him, realization hit him. Holy crap, this had been a date!  
   
~~~~~  
   
Very pleased with himself, Gibbs loaded the dishwasher after he had seen Tony out. The evening had gone well and he had certainly enjoyed himself, and he was pretty sure that Tony had too. Gibbs had wanted to find out whether he could see himself and Tony in this setting, on a date, and he found he definitely could. Tony’s reactions to him and to the dinner had been precious, and Gibbs felt warmed by them. He was starting to see the younger man in a new light. During the evening he had looked at Tony, really looked, and made some discoveries. While he had always known that Tony was a handsome man, after all he’d heard it remarked upon often enough, now he could see it. Tony made him smile and laugh, and the pleased sparkle in Tony’s eyes when he succeeded in coaxing a laugh from Gibbs was delightful. Gibbs filed away all the information he had gathered this evening and decided that they definitely needed to do this again. Heading upstairs and to bed, he found himself smiling as he thought of Tony.  
   
~~~~~  
   
Pacing his living room, Tony let the realization sink in that he had just had a date with his boss. His boss whom he had told he loved him just five short days ago. His boss who had ignored that statement the entire week. Then he suddenly understood and sank down on the couch, smiling. This was how Gibbs worked. He would have been thinking about things the entire week and, not wanting to spook Tony, had kept everything as normal as possible. And now Gibbs needed more information, gather intel. So he had invited Tony on a date. Laughing out loud for a moment, Tony got up and went to bed, wondering what would happen next.

Waking up with a smile the next morning, Tony went about his usual Saturday morning routine. He went for a run, showered and had breakfast, picked up groceries and made a trip to the dry-cleaners, then sat at his piano playing for a while. The entire time, the smile did not leave his face. He felt happy and hopeful, and it was all because of last night. The date he'd had with Gibbs replayed in his mind while he played and he was curious to see how this would proceed. He had certainly had a great time last night, after he had gotten over his initial shock, and he thought Gibbs had enjoyed himself too. The man had openly smiled and laughed, and he had been more open and talked more than Tony had ever experienced him. When Gibbs had walked him to the door as he was leaving, he'd been surprised at the chivalrous gesture, something that Gibbs had never done before. After he had realized that it had been a date, he'd thought back to that moment and cursed himself for not having cottoned on to the date-thing sooner, because if he had known that then, he would have kissed Gibbs goodnight, as he would have any other date. Well, he was hopeful that he would get another chance for that. 

It was early afternoon and he had no plans for the rest of his weekend, other than going through his movie collection and cooking. Tony liked cooking and usually used his free time to prepare meals that could be easily frozen in portions for easy bites to eat after a long day at the office during the week. Starting to lay out ingredients and planning what he would make in his head, he poured himself the one glass of wine which he permitted himself while cooking. Taking a sip and savoring the deep rich taste, he turned on his laptop to play some music and relaxed at the familiar set up. Still smiling, he started chopping vegetables and browning meat for the hearty stew he'd decided to make first. He was almost lost in the menial task and the music, when he suddenly laughed to himself. The way he zoned out while he was chopping veggies or playing the piano, was the same as when Gibbs was working on his boats or other projects. He suddenly understood Gibbs' attraction to his basement a little better, and smiled at the thought that they had even more in common than he'd thought. 

When the stew was simmering away, he started a batch of home made pasta sauce which he could easily and quickly heat on a weeknight, then considered the next meal. When he saw what he had bought, he froze for a moment, then laughed at himself again. He'd purchased a very nice and large rack of lamb, far too big for one person and not something to prepare and than put in the freezer. No, something like that should be eaten right away and shared with someone. Subconsciously he had apparently decided to ask Gibbs over for dinner. But wouldn't that be too pushy? Would Gibbs need more time to process the previous night? While he was debating with himself what to do, his phone rang. Gibbs. Smiling, he picked up.

"Yeah, Boss?"  
"Hey, Tony."  
"We got a case?"  
"Nope. Just wanted to see if you got home alright last night."  
Tony's smile widened. Gibbs was old-fashioned, and called the day after a date. Heart fluttering in excitement and mushiness, Tony responded.  
"Yeah, fine. Slept well too. You?"  
"Fine."  
When nothing further seemed to be forthcoming from the older man, Tony cleared his throat and decided to go for it.  
"Uhm, Boss?"  
"Yeah, Tony?"  
"I uh.. I made a little mistake while shopping this morning and I ended up with a lamb's rack I couldn't possibly eat by myself, and I don't want to freeze it. You wanna come over and help me out?"  
The silence lasted long enough to make Tony nervous that he'd made a mistake. But finally Gibbs replied.  
"Sure. Tonight?"  
"Yeah. Around seven?"  
"See you then."  
And without another word, Gibbs hung up. Used to that after all these years, Tony just shook his head smiling and excited that apparently, he had another date with Gibbs. Tonight. Whistling along with the music coming from his laptop, Tony continued his preparations.

Meals for the week prepared and cooling, getting ready to be frozen, and almost everything for tonight's dinner prepared, Tony checked the time and saw he was well on schedule. Settling down on the couch with a magazine for a while, he tried to relax, but found he was nervous for tonight and couldn't concentrate on the articles he was trying to read. Deciding that he needed to be doing something instead of sitting still, he went to the bathroom for a long shower. The hot water relaxed him and he took his time shaving and dressing, fixing his hair. It was only a little after six when he returned to the kitchen, but he still had some things to do for dinner, so he poured himself a second glass of wine and started finishing up. Rack in the oven, potatoes for fluffy mash boiling, vegetables prepared and ready for a flash boil at the last minute, Tony stood back and went over everything again to see if he hadn't forgotten something. He smiled at the sight of the veggies, knowing that Gibbs would probably not eat them, but Tony always felt that if you prepared a dinner for friends or loved ones, it needed to be complete, and that meant veggies on the side. Checking the week's meals, he found they hadn't cooled enough yet to freeze, so he let them sit out a little longer. The stew was still bubbling away, he would turn that off later tonight, leave to cool overnight and freeze it tomorrow. Everything in the kitchen ready, he went to set the table.

The dining table had hardly ever been used, at least not for dining purposes, but he wanted tonight to be perfect. He got out one of the fine table cloths he never used, and set the table with the fine china and the good silver that he also never used. The fact that he even had these things was a remnant of his upbringing, a nod to his mother, who had always been proud of a table well set with fine things for the dinner parties his parents had had when Tony was just a boy. Tony even took out actual cloth napkins and napkin rings, a little worried how Gibbs would react, but deciding not to let it bother him. He could count the number of times he had had someone over for an actual dinner on one hand, and considering that this dinner was for the most important person in his life, he wanted it to be perfect. Switching off the laptop in favor of the stereo in the living room, he put on some soft background music and returned to the kitchen.

Tony had just finished mashing the potatoes and doctoring them with spring onions and mustard to go with the mustard and thyme crust on the lamb, when the doorbell rang at ten to seven. Gibbs was early. Was he as anxious as Tony? The younger man smiled at the thought. Letting him in and waiting until Gibbs reached his floor, he opened the door in time to the ping of the elevator signaling Gibbs' arrival at his floor. As the older man walked over to him, Tony took in his appearance in appreciation. Like last night, Gibbs was dressed in jeans and a shirt, dressy compared to his usual look, and looking good. 

"Hey, Boss. Come in," he said as Gibbs reached him. Taking Gibbs' coat and hanging it up, he was surprised and pleased when Gibbs held out a bottle of wine and said: "Was told this would go well with lamb."  
Checking the label and recognizing the wine, he whistled in appreciation.   
"They weren't wrong, Boss, this will be delicious."  
Walking back to the kitchen to open the wine, Gibbs followed him and took in all the food laid out on the surfaces.  
"You expecting more than just me?"  
Confused, Tony turned from opening the bottle and raised his eyebrow in question.  
Gibbs' smirk as he looked at the food told Tony what he meant and he quickly explained.  
"No Boss, that's for the rest of the week. I like to have things ready in the freezer for when I come home late at night."  
Looking almost fascinated, Gibbs walked over and perused the various containers set out with cooling sauce and other foods, and asked: "What'd you make?"  
Pointing, Tony explained.   
"Smells good."  
"You wanna taste?"  
"Sure."  
Tony handed Gibbs a couple of spoons and the older man tasted each of the treats, including the stew.  
"That's good," he told Tony, his eyes curious. "Who taught you?"  
After only a moment's hesitation, Tony started telling Gibbs about the housekeepers and cooks that had been ever present in the DiNozzo household, Gibbs nodding in understanding. One of the cooks had taken pity on the boy who'd lost his mother so young and was by then on stepmother number two, who ignored him as much as she could, and when the boy had sought refuge in her kitchen, she had enlisted him as her helper and along the way he had learned a lot about cooking.  
Gibbs listened intently, knowing that this was a very private part of Tony's life, and was honored the younger man was willing to share this with him. Sipping the wine Tony had poured - and the clerk had been right, it was delicious - Gibbs enjoyed watching Tony moving around the kitchen putting the finishing touches on dinner and telling his story. When everything was ready, Tony told Gibbs to bring their glasses and the bottle, while he himself carried out the potatoes and vegetables, and Tony led him to the dining table. Amazed at the sight of the set table, Gibbs looked up questioningly at Tony.   
Tony smirked a little self-consciously and shrugged: "I don't get to use this much. I like it."  
"Me too," Gibbs replied and sat down.  
Tony smiled at those words and returned to the kitchen to get the center piece, the lamb.

Dinner was perfect in every way. When Tony carved the lamb, he saw it was exactly right, the potatoes were fluffy and delicious, the vegetables crispy, and Gibbs actually ate them. For dessert, Tony served coffee ice cream, together with actual coffee and a shot of fine bourbon on the side. And while they ate and drank, they talked. Tony spoke more about his childhood, and Gibbs actually shared a story or two about Shannon and Kelly. Feeling honored that Gibbs would share something about his girls with him, Tony lapped the stories up and Gibbs was pleased to see the younger man wasn't jealous as his ex-wives had been, but just wanted to know more about them and accepted them as a huge part of Gibbs' life. When Tony reverently said: "You must miss them very much," Gibbs laid his hand over Tony's, brushing his fingers over the younger man's, and told him more.

Dinner long finished, they finally moved to the couch in the living room and talked more. Again it was after midnight when Gibbs glanced at his watch and said he should go. Tony walked him to the door and contemplated kissing the man. At the last moment, he chickened out and just brushed his lips quickly over Gibbs' cheek, thanking him for coming. Gibbs stared at him for a moment, then nodded and left.

Whistling, Tony cleared the dinner, cleaned up the kitchen and went to bed.

~~~~~

All the way home, in the shower and then in bed, Gibbs felt his cheek burning where Tony had kissed him. He had his answer. And he was in trouble.

~~~~~

Sunday afternoon found Tony lounging on his couch, movie on in the background, playing with his phone. He thought back to Gibbs calling him the previous day, and grinning, hit speed dial 1.   
"Yeah. Gibbs."  
"Hey Boss."  
"Hey Tony," came the soft reply after a moment.  
"Just wanted to see if you got home alright last night," Tony said, mimicking Gibbs' words of yesterday.  
"Yeah, fine."  
"You sleep alright?"  
"Yeah, fine."  
"Okay… well, I'll see you tomorrow then, Boss."  
After another silence, Gibbs spoke again.  
"Thanks for last night, Tony. Dinner was delicious. I had a great time."  
Almost choking up with gratitude, Tony responded: "Me too. Thank you, Boss."  
"See you tomorrow, Tony. Bye."

Tony stared at his phone in amazement. Gibbs had actually said goodbye before hanging up. He knew this was an important step in their relationship and smiled to himself. The rest of the day was spent in a haze and he went to bed early that evening to be up and at the office refreshed and ready for anything the next day.

~~~~~

It was a good thing that Tony had been ready for anything the next morning, because only a few minutes after they'd all arrived, they caught a case that had them running over the entire eastern seaboard for the next week and a half. Gibbs made no allusions to the weekend before, and Tony was so focused on the case, he couldn't even mind. When the case was finally closed early Thursday morning, they spent the next day an a half writing reports and waiting for the evidence to process. At last, on Friday afternoon, reports done and evidence processed, Gibbs sent McGee and Ziva home and stood in front of Tony's desk. The younger man looking up at him questioningly, Gibbs cleared his throat and asked: "Date night tonight, Tony?"  
Slightly confused - did Gibbs mean to ask whether Tony had a date? Or did Gibbs want a date? - Tony just looked at his boss.   
Huffing in exasperation, Gibbs clarified: "You want to go on a date tonight? With me?"  
Swallowing and then smiling, Tony replied: "Yes, Boss, would love to."  
"Wanna go out?"  
"Not really. Can we stay in?"  
"Steaks at my place. Come on."

Tony didn't worry about leaving his car at the Yard, didn't worry about anyone seeing them, didn't worry period. He just relaxed in the passenger seat as Gibbs drove them over to his house, and settled on the couch as Gibbs started dinner, setting a sizzling, medium rare steak in front of Tony only a little while later. Steaks finished, beers at the ready, they settled back on the the couch and relaxed. After a while, Gibbs smirked and snorted. Tony raised a questioning eyebrow at him.   
"Not much of a date, I must admit," Gibbs answered the unspoken question.  
"That's okay," Tony said, and unselfconsciously settled himself against Gibbs' chest, sighing deeply.  
When Gibbs reached out his arms and put them around Tony, the younger man sighed and settled himself, warm and content, everything he'd ever wanted in reach.  
Kissing the top of Tony's head, Gibbs said: "Go to sleep, Tony, I'll be here."  
And Tony settled in after the exhausting weeks they had spent, and fell asleep in the arms of the man he loved.

~~~~~

With Tony sleeping softly on his chest, Gibbs considered the younger man he was holding close and who was making him feel loved and loving. For two weeks now, he'd understood how he really felt about Tony, but he didn't want to rush things. He'd screwed up every woman he'd ever been involved with, and he couldn't lose Tony. So he needed to take this slow.

After a while, when Tony woke up, Gibbs pulled him off the couch and took him upstairs to his bedroom. When Tony looked somewhat apprehensive, Gibbs smiled and said: "Just to sleep, Tony." And Tony got into bed with him, curling around him, just holding him and sleeping some more. The next morning, having fed Tony breakfast, Gibbs drove Tony home and walked him to his door. Squeezing Tony's hand a moment, Gibbs let him go and turned to walk away.   
"Gibbs?" Tony asked.  
"Yeah?"  
"You wanna come over tonight?"  
After a moment's silence, Gibbs replied: "Yeah."  
"See you tonight then."  
"Yeah."

~~~~~

And that's how it went for the weeks following. On Fridays, Gibbs would take Tony home and most times, Gibb would spent the night in Tony's bed, just sleeping. After breakfast, Gibbs would drive Tony home and come over later that day and spend the evening at Tony's, sometimes watching a movie, sometimes having an elaborate dinner, sometimes even going out together. Gibbs would stay with Tony Saturday nights, and pick him up Monday morning to take him to the office. While they spent most of their weekends together, Tony never initiated another kiss other than that one he had given Gibbs on his cheek that first Saturday, and even though they slept together, neither made a further move. And every Friday night if cases allowed, Gibbs asked: "Date night, Tony?" and Tony would smile and nod, and have Gibbs back over the next day. No one at the office noticed.

~~~~~

Many, many weeks into this pattern, Gibbs was at Tony's on Saturday night, having been treated to one of Tony's home made dinners and lounging on the couch, belly full and warm with delicious food, delicious man next to him. "Tony?" he asked.   
"Yeah, Boss?"  
"You ever gonna kiss me again?"  
Tony sat still for a moment. "You want me to?"  
"Been wanting you for a long time now."  
Tony looked skeptical for a moment. "Yeah?"  
"Oh, yeah. C'mere."  
And Tony leaned over and let himself be kissed by his boss for a long time. 

When they finally went to bed that evening, Gibbs made love to Tony with all he had to give. And it was more than he'd ever dreamed of. Tony soared to the heavens and was caught by Gibbs when he finally landed again. Their relationship progressed steadily from there, and even when Tony had moved in with Gibbs, they kept up their date nights. On Fridays, Gibbs would cook for Tony and take care of him, on Saturdays, Tony would reciprocate. Tony never ceased to get a thrill when on Fridays, Gibbs stood in front of him and asked:" Date night tonight, Tony?" He never ceased to be grateful that Gibbs had taken a chance and tried to see him in a different light.

~~~~~

His breath escaped his lungs in a rush when he was slammed face first against the wall of the elevator. The strong arm on the back of his neck kept him in place despite his struggling and his hands found no purchase on the smooth walls. Trying to kick back with his leg, he hit only air. “You done?” came the gruff voice close to his ear. He stilled his movements and waited. “You ever, EVER, do that again, and I’ll kill you myself.” The threat was all the more impressive for the soft and even tone it was delivered in. “You don't get to do this again.” He felt the hard chest pressing against his back heaving with contained righteous anger. “You promise me every time that you won’t do it again, won’t go off on your own without me knowing.” Hips pressed against his, pinning him in place even more. “Twelve years, and you still won’t let me always have your back. Don’t you know that you scare me to death when you do that?” He felt a shuddering breath against the back of his neck. “Don’t you know that I would die if something happened to you?” The hand that had been pushing against his back to keep him in place moved around his side to slide across his belly, and the arm against his neck was moved to drape over his shoulder, the hand moving to his chest so he was embraced by strong arms and pulled back against the hard body behind him. “Do you still not know that I love you?” Gibbs whispered into Tony's ear.

"i know, Jethro. I'm sorry. I swear I'll never do it again."  
And he didn't.


End file.
